I recently had the opportunity to check out a friend’s Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22. The 15-22 is a dedicated 22lr AR look a like. They sell for around $450 and come with one mag.
As far as looks go, this is a great reproduction. The lower is actually one piece with the buffer tube that is made from a polymer like substance. It has a 6 position stock front and rear sights.
He told me that at the range he only had one failure to fire and attributed it to the cheap bulk pack of ammo he was using. That was surprising to me, because most of the time these types of weapons can be a little picky until they are broken in good.
His only complaint was that the gun’s front sight was not adjustable. All elevation had to be corrected at the rear sight. I think if an adjustable front sight was added and another mag thrown in, this would be perfect.
Obviously you can get a conversion kit for your AR for less than half, but then again you don’t have a dedicated shooter. Stay tuned for more on the conversion kits. We are working one up right now that is pretty sweet.